


Fluffy Expectations

by YumeHanabi



Series: Fluffy Problems [2]
Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Cats, Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:28:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23067766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YumeHanabi/pseuds/YumeHanabi
Summary: If you asked Wingul if he liked cats, he would most likely reply that he hated them. But an encounter in the rain might just be the thing to change that.
Relationships: Gaius/Wingul
Series: Fluffy Problems [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1657822
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Fluffy Expectations

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sort of sequel to [Fluffy Problems](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2557316), but can be read as a standalone. All you need to know is that Gaius has a cat named Linlin who is the bane of Wingul's existence.
> 
> Also I just decided that there were trams in Trigleph because trams are cool and Trigleph looks like the perfect city for trams.

If you had asked him twenty years ago, Wingul would have answered that he liked cats. If you had asked him two years ago, he would have said that he did not mind them. If you asked him now, he would most likely reply that he hated them.

It was not that he had something against them in particular. But he found the way they roamed freely in the castle unhealthy (Jiao’s beasts had more manners than any of them!) and Gaius’ leniency with them irritating.

And then there was Linlin.

From his time as a kitten, Linlin had quickly become Gaius’ favorite. Wingul had to admit he was flattered, in a way, that his lover had chosen as his feline companion a cat who looked a little like him and was named after him. But Linlin the Kitty was an attention-seeker, and Gaius, as any good cat lover, was more than eager to give him all the attention he wanted. It might be petty to be jealous of a cat, but Wingul did not like to share. Especially not with an animal that, in some ways, reminded him too much of himself.

Over the months, Linlin had soured his opinion of cats. So when a cat came to join him under the tramway shelter where he was currently taking refuge from the rain while waiting for his ride home, he initially ignored it. His tram arrived a couple of minutes later, and he boarded it without a glance backward.

He forgot about the event until three days later, when the same cat strode into the shelter, shook the water off its body, and sat in the exact same spot as before. The same scene repeated itself several more times—every time it rained, in fact, which was a frequent occurrence in this season. Same cat, same time, same spot, same posture.

Indifference gave way to curiosity, and Wingul took to observing the animal closely. It was just to pass time while waiting for his ride, he told himself. Not because he found cats interesting or anything. The feline had mostly black fur, with a few red spots on the ears, paws, and underbelly. One day, Wingul idly mused that its color scheme matched Gaius’ armor, but he quickly dismissed the thought—what was he doing, likening a cat to his king? Was that not exactly the kind of behavior that drove him mad every time Gaius cooed to that wretched pet of his? But, he had to admit, the similarity did not stop here. The cat’s most striking feature was its piercing red eyes, which reminded him of another pair of piercing red eyes. And didn’t its dignified posture hold a certain regal quality to it? Truly, if Gaius were to reincarnate into a cat, this was what he’d look like.

“You can keep him if you’d like,” a voice interrupted his musings.

“Pardon?”

An elderly woman was looking at him with an indulgent look on her face. “He’s a stray, so he doesn’t belong to anyone. He’s been roaming around the neighborhood for a while now. No one’s ever managed to catch him though.”

“I see…” Wingul replied noncommittally.

“He likes you,” the woman said. Wingul raised an eyebrow, dubious. “You’re the first person he allows to stand so close to him,” she explained. “See?” She made to approach him, but the moment she got closer, the cat stood up and walked away. “He’s chosen you,” she adds, as if it was obvious.

“Ridiculous,” he muttered.

The next time he saw the cat, Wingul took a tentative step toward him, closer than he’d ever been before. The cat did not budge. Emboldened, he presented his hand. The cat stared at him impassively for a second, before he leaned his head into Wingul’s palm. He was warm and soft and the way he purred at the touch absolutely did not factor in Wingul’s decision to pick him up and bring him to his apartment.

“It’s cold and wet in winter,” he reasoned to no one in particular. “He just needs shelter until spring.”

That is exactly what he repeated to Gaius when the man interrogated him about the new addition to their living space. If he was not convinced by Wingul’s flawless reasoning, he did not say so. After all, he would be the last to complain about an extra furry friend to cuddle.

The cat, defiantly named “Arsty,” easily warmed up to his namesake, but Wingul noticed with no small amount of satisfaction that he was always the first one the animal sought for pets or food.

Cohabitation with Linlin was a little more difficult, however. Linlin, being the territorial little terror he was, did not appreciate having to compete for Gaius’ affection. The two cats could barely stand each other’s presence for several weeks, and Wingul once caught that awful creature pinning poor Arsty down on the ground, sharp teeth biting his neck viciously. He nearly executed him on the spot, then, but Gaius managed to talk him out of it.

“It’s just a cat, Wingul. Cats fight, it happens. Look, Arsty isn’t even hurt.”

A closer inspection showed that, indeed, Arsty had not sustained any lasting damage, so Wingul begrudgingly gave Linlin one more chance to redeem himself.

As if he understood the threat, the sly bastard actually changed his behavior shortly after that. There were no more fights, no more ambushes, no more anguished yowling from Arsty at all hours of the day. Peace returned to their home, and by the time Undis came, the two cats were inseparable. They cuddled together to sleep, groomed each other, and Linlin even generously shared his meals with Arsty, who was quickly developing an appetite. He also became less possessive of Gaius, which Wingul was very suspicious about at first (surely it was a ploy to lower his guard) but appreciated nonetheless. He still didn’t like the cat—never!—but maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

“Don’t they look cute?” Gaius asked one day, looking at them fondly. They were all on the couch—Wingul sitting on Gaius’ lap, relaxing in his embrace after a long day of boring meetings with Elympion politicians, and the two cats cuddling at their feet, sleeping. Wingul would not go as far as call that “cute,” but the scene was indeed rather charming. “It’s like Linlin has found his mate,” Gaius added.

“It would be unwise to separate them,” Wingul agreed. “I suppose Arsty can stay, even when the weather gets better.”

Gaius let out a huff in amusement. “As if you intended otherwise.” His breath tickled Wingul’s ear.

Wingul turned so that he could face Gaius and brought a hand to his cheek. Gaius leaned into the touch, not unlike Arsty had that day he’d brought him home. “Every Lin needs his Arst, it seems,” Wingul murmured. Then kissed Gaius softly.

Arsty got sick. The first time he vomited, Wingul just thought it was a simple indigestion and did not worry too much. He’d been eating a lot, after all. But then it happened again, and again, and again. His stomach had also started to swell, too rapidly for Wingul’s taste. They quickly ruled out the food, as Linlin seemed perfectly fine even though they ate the same things. If Jiao were here, Wingul would have immediately ordered him to find out what was wrong with his cat, but unfortunately he was currently on a mission in Rieze Maxia. So he turned to the next best alternative.

 _“Huh, yeah, that sounds concerning,”_ Ludger answered through his GHS after Wingul finished his explanation. _“I mean, Rollo sometimes gets sick because he eats too much, but if it’s been happening nearly every day, you probably need to get him checked up. I can give you my vet’s number if you need.”_

Thus Wingul and Gaius soon found themselves in a small vet’s office, watching their cat’s examination with apprehension. A man in a blue blouse was prodding his swollen belly with a focused look on his face. Poor Arsty looked really uncomfortable.

“You said you took her as a stray, right?” the vet asked. “Do you know if she had contact with an intact male recently?”

“Well, there’s Linlin,” Wingul answered, frowning, “but…”

Wait.

“ _She!?_ ”

The vet looked up with a large smile on his face. “Congratulations!”

The tram ride back to their apartment was spent in stunned silence.

“Pregnant…” Wingul whispered, incredulous. “This whole time I thought…”

“Did you never think to check?” Gaius asked.

“No,” Wingul answered. After a pause, he added accusingly, “You didn’t check either.”

“It’s _your_ cat,” Gaius protested.

They felt silent again after that, each feeling a little embarrassed that they had missed something so obvious.

“If Rowen hears…” Gaius said after a while.

“He can’t know!” Wingul hurriedly interrupted. “No one can know.”

Gaius nodded gravely. “Not a word.”

If you had asked him twenty years ago, Wingul would have answered that he liked cats. If you had asked him two years ago, he would have said that he did not mind them. If you had asked him two months ago, he would have likely replied that he hated them.

If you asked him now, his eyes would stray to the five kitten who were currently trying to pile up on their long-suffering mother, before turning his attention back to you, an eyebrow raised as if to say “What do you think?”

* * *

**BONUS:**

When Gaius came back from grocery shopping that evening, he expected Wingul to greet him at the door and help him with his bags, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Only when he set the last bag on the table did he notice the voice coming from their bedroom. Intrigued, he stepped toward the half-opened door and caught the end of a conversation Wingul seemed to be having with… someone?

“…can’t believe you had the gall to do that. You really have no manner.”

Surprised by his venomous tone, Gaius stepped into the room. “Wingul? Who are you talking to?”

Wingul barely spared him a glance before he turned back to the bed, where their two cats were currently resting side by side. “Your wretched cat. Don’t interrupt. As I was saying, I knew you were trouble when you walked in. I should have never trusted you.”

“… Are you seriously scolding our cat?”

“To say I for a moment believed you were all right. You had me fooled. But no more!”

“He can’t understand you, you know…”

“I have my eyes on you now. And if you dare touch my girl again—” Wingul’s hand rested on his sword’s handle menacingly.

“Wingul…”

“If you so much as lay a paw upon her—”

“Wingul, did you really call Arsty your “girl”? Since when do you consider cats your children?” This scene was seriously starting to unsettle Gaius.

“Then I will cut your balls off. You have my word.”

“Hey, don’t threaten Linlin!” Gaius felt the need to step in to defend his cat’s honor.

Wingul turned to him with a glare. “I will threaten whoever dares approach my Arsty.”

“Okay, this is really starting to scare me. Who are you and what have you done to my cat-hating chief councilor?”


End file.
